Gift

7 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Gift \Gift\, n. [OE. gift, yift, yeft, AS. gift, fr. gifan to
     give; akin to D. & G. gift, Icel. gift, gipt, Goth. gifts (in
     comp.). See {Give}, v. t.]
     1. Anything given; anything voluntarily transferred by one
        person to another without compensation; a present; an
        offering.


        [1913 Webster]
  
              Shall I receive by gift, what of my own, . . .
              I can command ?                       --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. The act, right, or power of giving or bestowing; as, the
        office is in the gift of the President.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. A bribe; anything given to corrupt.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Neither take a gift, for a gift doth blind the eyes
              of the wise.                          --Deut. xvi.
                                                    19.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. Some exceptional inborn quality or characteristic; a
        striking or special talent or aptitude; power; faculty;
        as, the gift of wit; a gift for speaking.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. (Law) A voluntary transfer of real or personal property,
        without any consideration. It can be perfected only by
        deed, or in case of personal property, by an actual
        delivery of possession. --Bouvier. --Burrill.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Gift rope} (Naut), a rope extended to a boat for towing it;
        a guest rope.
  
     Syn: Present; donation; grant; largess; benefaction; boon;
          bounty; gratuity; endowment; talent; faculty.
  
     Usage: {Gift}, {Present}, {Donation}. These words, as here
            compared, denote something gratuitously imparted to
            another out of one's property. A gift is something
            given whether by a superior or an inferior, and is
            usually designed for the relief or benefit of him who
            receives it. A present is ordinarly from an equal or
            inferior, and is always intended as a compliment or
            expression of kindness. Donation is a word of more
            dignity, denoting, properly, a gift of considerable
            value, and ordinarly a gift made either to some public
            institution, or to an individual on account of his
            services to the public; as, a donation to a hospital,
            a charitable society, or a minister.
            [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Gift \Gift\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Gifted}; p. pr. & vb. n.
     {Gifting}.]
     To endow with some power or faculty. See {gift}[4].
     [1913 Webster]
  
           He was gifted . . . with philosophical sagacity. --I.
                                                    Taylor.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  gift
       n 1: something acquired without compensation
       2: natural qualities or talents [syn: {endowment}, {talent}, {natural
          endowment}]
       3: the act of giving [syn: {giving}]
       v 1: give qualities or abilities to [syn: {endow}, {indue}, {empower},
             {invest}, {endue}]
       2: give as a present; make a gift of; "What will you give her
          for her birthday?" [syn: {give}, {present}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  197 Moby Thesaurus words for "gift":
     Christmas present, ability, accomplishment, accord, acquirement,
     acuity, acuteness, administer, adroitness, afford, allot, allow,
     alms, an ear for, an eye for, aptitude, aptness, attainment, award,
     baksheesh, benefaction, benefit, benevolence, bent, bestow,
     bestow on, bestowal, birthday present, bonus, boon, bounty, box,
     braininess, brightness, brilliance, bump, cadeau, caliber,
     capability, capacity, capacity for, charity, chip in,
     clear thinking, cleverness, communicate, compliment,
     complimentariness, confer, contribute, contribute to, contribution,
     costlessness, deal, deal out, dexterity, dish out, dispense, dole,
     dole out, donate, donate to, donation, dower, dowry, endowment,
     equipment, esprit, expenselessness, extend, facility, faculty,
     fairing, favor, felicity, flair, fork out, forte, free ride,
     freebie, freeness, genius, genius for, gift for, gift with,
     giftedness, gifts, give, give freely, give out, give to, grant,
     gratuitousness, gratuity, hand out, hand-out, handsel, head, heap,
     help to, honorarium, impart, inclination, innate aptitude,
     instinct, issue, keen-wittedness, keenness, kick in, knack,
     labor of love, largess, largesse, lavish, leaning, legacy,
     let have, long suit, makings, mental alertness, mercurial mind,
     mete, mete out, metier, native cleverness, natural endowment,
     natural gift, nimble mind, nimble-wittedness, nimbleness,
     no charge, nose, nous, numen, oblation, offer, offering, parts,
     peace offering, pledge, potential, pour, pourboire, power, powers,
     premium, present, presentation, prize, proffer, propensity,
     qualification, quick parts, quick thinking, quick wit,
     quick-wittedness, quickness, rain, ready wit, remembrance, render,
     reward, savvy, serve, set, sharp-wittedness, sharpness, shell out,
     shower, slip, smartness, smarts, snow, souvenir, speciality,
     specialty, sprightly wit, strength, strong flair, strong point,
     subscribe, sweeten the kitty, talent, talents, tendency, tender,
     the goods, the stuff, tip, token, tribute, turn, turn for,
     vouchsafe, what it takes, white elephant, yield
  
  

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Gift
     (1.) An gratuity (Prov. 19:6) to secure favour (18:16; 21:14), a
     thank-offering (Num. 18:11), or a dowry (Gen. 34:12).
     
       (2.) An oblation or proppitatory gift (2Sa 8:2,6; 1Ch 18:2,6;
     2Ch 26:8; Ps. 45:12; 72:10).
     
       (3.) A bribe to a judge to obtain a favourable verdict (Ex.
     23:8; Deut. 16:19).
     
       (4.) Simply a thing given (Matt. 7:11; Luke 11:13; Eph. 4:8);
     sacrifical (Matt. 5:23, 24; 8:4); eleemosynary (Luke 21:1); a
     gratuity (John 4:10; Acts 8:20). In Acts 2:38 the generic word
     dorea is rendered "gift." It differs from the charisma (1 Cor.
     12:4) as denoting not miraculous powers but the working of a new
     spirit in men, and that spirit from God.
     
       The giving of presents entered largely into the affairs of
     common life in the East. The nature of the presents was as
     various as were the occasions: food (1 Sam. 9:7; 16:20), sheep
     and cattle (Gen. 32:13-15), gold (2 Sam. 18:11), jewels (Gen.
     24:53), furniture, and vessels for eating and drinking (2 Sam.
     17:28); delicacies, as spices, honey, etc. (1 Kings 10:25; 2
     Kings 5: 22). The mode of presentation was with as much parade
     as possible: the presents were conveyed by the hands of servants
     (Judg. 3:18), or still better, on the backs of beasts of burden
     (2 Kings 8:9). The refusal of a present was regarded as a high
     indignity; and this constituted the aggravated insult noticed in
     Matt. 22:11, the marriage robe having been offered and refused.
     

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  GIFT, contracts. The act by which the owner of a thing, voluntarily 
  transfers the title and possession of the same, from himself to another 
  person who accepts it, without any consideration. It differs from a grant, 
  sale, or barter in this, that in each of these cases there must be a 
  consideration, and a gift, as the @definitionstates, must be without 
  consideration. 
       2. The manner of making the gift may be in writing, or verbally, and, 
  as far as personal chattels are concerned, they are equally binding. Perk. 
  Sec. 57; 2 Bl. Com. 441. But real estate must be transferred by deed. 
       3. There must be a transfer made with an intention of passing the 
  title, and delivering the possession of the thing given, and it must be 
  accepted by the donee. 1 Madd. Ch. R. 176, Am. ed. p. 104; sed vide 2 Barn. 
  & Ald. 551; Noy's Rep. 67. 
       4. The transfer must be without consideration, for if there be the 
  least consideration, it will change the contract into a sale or barter, if 
  possession be delivered; or if not, into an executory contract. 2 Bl. Com. 
  440. 
       5. Gifts are divided into gifts inter vivos, and gifts causa mortis; 
  and also' into simple or proper gifts; that is, such as are to take 
  immediate effect, without any condition; and qualified or improper gifts, or 
  such as derive their force upon the happening, of some condition or 
  contingency; as, for example, a donatio causa mortis. Vide Donatio causa 
  mortis; Gifts inter vivos; and Vin. Ab. h. t.; Com. Dig. Biens, D 2, and 
  Grant; Bac. Ab. Grant; 14 Vin. Ab. 19 3 M. & S. 7 5 Taunt. 212 1 Miles, R. 
  109. 
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  GIFT, conveyancing. A voluntary conveyance; that is, a conveyance not 
  founded on the consideration of money or blood. The word denotes rather the 
  motive of the conveyance; so that a feoffment or grant may be called a gift 
  when gratuitous. A gift is of the same nature as a settlement; neither 
  denotes a form of assurance, but the nature of the transaction. Watk. Prin. 
  199, by Preston. The operative words of this conveyance are do or dedi. The 
  maker of this instrument is called the donor, and he to whom it is made, the 
  donee. 2 B. Com. 316 Litt. 69; Touchs. ch. 11.